The Many, The Few
by ScifigeekET
Summary: Four People. Each a different species. Each lost and alone. Brought together for one purpose only. To find The Doctor. Recently re-written, the old chapters weren't my best work. Please Read and Review!
1. We Need A Doctor

The Doctor looked at Alexia, fear and horror in his eyes.

She tried to laugh, but her breath was chocked off, and she cried out in pain. "D-D-Doctor… LISTEN."

The Doctor looked into her eyes, holding her in his arms as the bullet drained the life from her.

"You know I'm not… not… h-human." She whispered, trying desperately to get her words out. "S-S-S-So s-s-st-st-stand b-b-b-back…"

Confusion flickered in his eyes, but there was no time to explain.

Alexia looked at her hands, glowing softly. "It's starting." She breathed.

The light intensified, flickering around her. Shock entered the Doctor's eyes, and he gently set her down, standing up and taking a few steps back.

And then the light shot out, away from her hands, dancing across her and fixing everything that was wrong. Her face began to change, morphing into something entirely different from the person she had once been.

And then the light stopped. Alexia gasped and sat up, the regeneration process complete.

The Doctor looked at her, his face pale.

She smiled.

* * *

Alexia snapped awake, crying out as she did so.

Thyme was at her side in a second. "You ok, Lex?"

"No." Alexia replied with a cough, spitting blood. "Dang it, Thyme. When is he coming?"

Thyme looked at Timesong, who shook her head. "I'm not sure. It's a little…foggy."

"Who said WHAT about fog?" Vanessa Firaheart came over, her amber eyes blazing.

"Not real fog, Vanessa." Thyme said, rolling her eyes.

Timesong was focusing on Alexia. "A dream? Just now?"

Alexia nodded. "The Doctor. And me getting shot. Why am I the one who gets shot? I'm ALWAYS the one who gets SHOT!"

Vanessa chuckled. "That's cuz you're the only one who CAN get shot."

"Shut it, Flame breath." Alexia snapped, lashing out with a fist.

"Oooh, SOMEONE'S cranky." Vanessa said, dodging her blow, completely unaffected by Alexia's tone.

Thyme smiled. "Cut it out, you two." She looked at Vanessa. "And that's not technically true. Lex can block bullets, you know."

Alexia stuck her tongue out at Vanessa, who muttered something about immaturity.

"People! We're trying to save the world here!" Timesong said, impatience in her tone.

Vanessa hung her head. "Sorry, Song."

Timesong tried to be serious. She really did. But the sight of Vanessa looking that pitiful was too much for her. She laughed. "You look like a little kid."

Vanessa smiled. "It's what I do best." She replied in the best baby voice she could.

Thyme chuckled.

"Umm, what was that about saving the world?" Alexia said, bringing them all back to the conversation.

Timesong shook her head, trying to clear it. "Right. Well, if you're having dreams about him more often…"

"Which I am."

"Then I think it's time." She concluded.

Thyme nodded slowly. "Agreed. When will you call him?"

"Tomorrow." Timesong replied. "Seems soon enough."

The others nodded, suddenly serious.

Slowly, then went out the door, leaving Alexia. But not before Vanessa sent a flame dancing on her friend's arm. Alexia cried out, then glared at her. "Ness, you are a dead Firakoid!"

Vanessa's eyes widened as Alexia shot off the bed. She started running. "HELP!"

Thyme and Timesong laughed as they ran past. "You asked for it!" Thyme called.

Alexia finally realized that she had an advantage. She smiled and created a force field right in front of Vanessa, who crashed into it. "HEY! No fair!"

Alexia smirked, and the field became a bubble surrounding her flame-controlling friend. "Now. What am I to do with you?"

Vanessa swallowed. "I was just kidding, Lex. You know that right?"

Alexia grinned. "No. No I don't."

* * *

Niki glared at The Doctor, who, once again, wasn't paying attention.

"You promised we'd go to the future, Doc." She whined.

"Yes… yes…" the Doctor wasn't looking at her, instead pounding on random buttons.

She chewed on her lip, annoyed. "I heard Martians landed on Earth last month."

"Good for them." The Doctor replied.

She sighed, looking at the TARDIS for assistance. She groaned, but did nothing else.

So, Niki decided to take matters into her own hands. She marched up to the Doctor and grabbed him by the collar. It helped that she was slightly taller than him.

He looked at her with wide, innocent eyes. "What was that about Martians?"

She glared and dropped him. He landed on the floor with an ungraceful _THUD_ and let out an "Oof."

"The Future, Doc. Please?"

He winced and got to his feet. "Don't call me Doc."

She rolled her eyes and muttered something about him not seeming to mind it a few moments ago.

He looked at her, innocence written all over his face. "The future?"

"Please?"

He nodded. "Sure. Why not?"

She smiled. "Yes." She hissed triumphantly.

And then the TARDIS lost control.


	2. Introductions

"Oh, NO you don't!" Niki began to hit the TARDIS with whatever was available. "I FINALLY got him to take me to the future, and you start pulling this junk!"

She raised the Doctor's hammer high above her head, ready to inflict some serious damage on this machine. But The Doctor carefully stepped behind her and relieved her of the tool before it could crash down on the TARDIS. "My job, I think." He told Niki.

She glared at him when she found herself weaponless, but let it pass. "What's going on?"

The Doctor finished what Niki had planned and gave the TARDIS a solid _whack! _With his hammer, then glanced at the screen. "It's… a distress call." He replied, concern and confusion turning his eyebrows into a squiggly line. "Locking on!" His last words broke out into a cry as the TARDIS sent them both flying backwards.

They landed, not quite as gracefully as Niki had hoped. The Doctor was on his feet in two seconds. "Well, we're here."

Niki coughed and waved imaginary dust away from her face. "Where… and WHEN, is here?"

The Doctor grinned. "You've gotten your wish. We're in the future."

Niki smiled. "Finally!" She hopped to her feet.

The Doctor laughed and ran to the door. "Race ya!"

Niki laughed and ran after him, shoving him aside at the last minute and bursting out the door first. She turned to face him, sticking her tongue out as she did so.

The Doctor was rubbing his shoulder, sore from where she'd shoved him. "That hurt." He whimpered.

Niki smiled, but it was cut off abruptly as a robot came over to her, a small gun in its metal hands. "Surrender, intruders!" Its screeching metallic voice sent shivers down her spine, and pain in her ears.

The Doctor jumped, raising his hands immediately. Niki did the same, sighing.

The robot cuffed their hands before she could blink. "You will follow me!"

She rolled her eyes, and the Doctor bound after the robot, as though being handcuffed by a robot in the future was the most normal thing in the world. Niki, however, found it irritating as she kept trying to push a strand of hair out of her eye with her hands cuffed. It wasn't easy.

The Doctor followed their captor in silence, a rare thing for him. Niki kept herself busy by watching the section numbers, written on gold plates on the walls, count down as they walked. They had been in section 7. Presumably, they were going to section 1.

Her thoughts were correct. In front of them, a door marked the entrance into section 1.

The Doctor noticed it too. "We're here." He muttered quietly.

Niki swallowed as the robot opened the door and propelled them inside.

The first thing she noticed was darkness. Then, a voice spoke.

"If you would, Vanessa…"

A single flame flickered and danced to different spots in the room, lighting torches where they went. Four people faced the Doctor and Niki. None looked human.

Flame danced on one's hand, the one that had been called Vanessa, the one who had lit the torches. Amber eyes gazed out at the two, barely containing her excitement, though her face was hard and cold, completely emotionless.

Another was not even close to human. She was completely white, with a dark blue glow surrounding her. But the blue changed, now purple, now red. Niki had a feeling that it would never stay constant. Coal-black eyes stared out, holding no emotion, regarding the situation with a watchful gaze that somehow unnerved Niki more than if she had been staring with a look of pure hatred.

The third looked human enough. She had tan skin, dark green eyes, and long blonde hair. She gazed at The Doctor thoughtfully, balancing something that looked like a force field, shaped into a bubble the size of a basketball, on one finger.

The last looked human as well, though Niki had no doubt she wasn't. Her skin was very pale, almost as pale as the one with the glow. She had bright green eyes- much lighter than the one with the force field's- which were full of life. Black hair trailed down to her waist.

The Doctor was completely unaffected by the fact that he was a prisoner in unknown territory. "Hello!" He said cheerily.

Niki thought she caught a faint glimpse of a smirk on the one with the force field, but it disappeared. "Who are you?"

The Doctor grinned. "I'm The Doctor."

A few faint, sharp intakes of breath filled the room. The blonde woman with the force fields was the only one who did not gasp. She stepped up to the Doctor, a fire burning in her eyes that Niki could not describe. "Oh, really?"

"Yes, really." The Doctor replied.

She looked at him. "Look at me."

"I am!" The Doctor protested indignantly. "There you are, hello!"

She shook her head. "The eyes, Doctor. Let me see your eyes."

Confused, he did as she asked.

She looked into his eyes for a long time. A shiver ran down Niki's spine and the silence grew longer and more uncomfortable with each passing second.

Finally, the woman looked away. "Give me your hand."

"Why?" The Doctor demanded.

"Just do what I SAY!" She spat.

The Doctor obeyed, though not without a final comment. "Eeesh. Snappy."

She ignored it, and took his hand, pressing a few buttons to unlock the handcuffs and then placing two of her fingers on his wrist. Niki realized with some shock that she was taking his pulse. Another long and uncomfortable silence later, she turned to face the three others. Slowly, a smile crossed her face. "It's him."

"HA!" The one with the fire said. She turned to the woman with the glow. "You owe me five credits, Song!"

The glowing one snorted. "Never bet against a Timesong, Firaheart." She replied with a smirk. "You will always lose." She looked pointedly at the woman in front of The Doctor, who grinned.

A force field wrapped itself around her hand. "Remember what happened yesterday, Ness."

'Firaheart' swallowed, her face pale. "Right." She turned to the girl with the glow. "I owe YOU five credits. Sure thing."

The one in front of the Doctor smiled. "That's a good girl." She walked over to Niki and released her from her handcuffs. "Sorry about all that, Doctor. We just had to make sure. There are plenty of people who can impersonate you."

The Doctor shrugged, smiling, though confusion was plain on his face. "No harm done."

Her smile widened. "I know you have a lot of questions. I'll start with the basics, shall I?" She held out her hand. "I'm Force Fields."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow as he shook it. "That can't be your real name, can it?"

She smiled darkly, a hint of a long-ago battle in her eyes. "Is yours 'The Doctor?'"

The Doctor placed his hand back to his side. "Point taken."

Force Fields smiled and gestured to the woman with the fire still dancing and flickering on her hand. "And this is Vanessa Firaheart. She's a Firakoid."

Sorrow filled the Doctor's eyes. "Oh, I'm so sorry." He said, genuinely.

She shrugged and held out her hand, still on fire. The Doctor took it without even blinking. "I'll live." She told him, taking her hand away. The fire hadn't touched The Doctor; his hand was completely free of burns.

The third one came up, the one with black hair and bright green eyes. "And this is Thyme. T-H-Y-M-E. Her species…" She looked at Thyme, who shook her head. "Is for her to tell you." Force Fields concluded.

Thyme nodded, holding her hand out to The Doctor, who shook it. "It's good to finally meet you at last."

The Doctor smiled, looking very slightly overwhelmed. Quite an achievement, really.

The glowing one stepped forward, almost like royalty. There was an air of dignity around her, something Niki couldn't quite place. "I am Timesong." She told The Doctor, holding out her hand.

The Doctor's eyebrows shot up. "You're A Timesong?

She shook her head, a faint smile playing across her lips. "No. I am Timesong. My name is the same as my species."

The Doctor nodded, accepting this as the most normal thing in the world. "And this is Niki." He told them, gesturing towards her.

She stood up straight, expecting them to ignore her, like most aliens had a tendency to do. Instead, Vanessa ran over to her with an energy that almost matched The Doctor's. "I'm Vanessa."

Niki raised an eyebrow. "So I heard."

Vanessa smiled. "Well. Someone's a little… touchy."

Niki shrugged. "I'm only human."

"Wrong!" The Doctor shouted suddenly. "You're PERFECTLY human!"

She rolled her eyes. "Thanks, Doctor, you're the star of the show."

He glared and stuck his tongue out at her.

The others snickered.

"Same old immature Time Lord." Force Fields said, smiling.

"How did you know I was a…" The Doctor trailed off. "Oh. You took my pulse."

Force Fields nodded knowingly, holding up two fingers. "Two hearts."

Niki raised an eyebrow and looked at aforementioned Time Lord.

The Doctor looked at her, his eyes wide and innocent. "I didn't tell you that?"

She shook her head. "You kinda failed to mention it."

He shrugged. "Sorry."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm used to it."

"To what?"

"You being… you. Alien. Not human. Take your pick."

The Doctor's lower lip jutted out.

"Oh, come off it." She replied, punching his shoulder lightly. "You love not being human, and don't you deny it!"

The Doctor smiled and winked at her. "You don't miss anything do you?"

She smiled. "Oooh, high praise for a human." She smirked.

He rolled his eyes. The others were watching with fascination. All of them were laughing.

Niki blushed. "What?" She demanded rebelliously.

Force Fields shook her head. "Nothing. Nothing at all."

Vanessa was more blunt. "You two! I mean, despite everything, you ARE human, and this would blow most human's minds!" She smiled. "You take this incredibly well."

Niki shrugged. "For a human."

Vanessa nodded. "For a human." She agreed.

Finally, The Doctor broke into the conversation. "Look, I don't mean to interrupt, but I came here because of a distress signal."

Timesong nodded. "That was us. Or, more accurately, me."

He raised an eyebrow. "But you don't look quite so… distressed."

Force Fields chuckled darkly, and Niki's mind flashed with images of a burning world, of darkness, swallowing the universe in a chocking death grip. Pictures of blood and smoke and battle.

Pictures of war.

She shook her head, trying to clear it as Force Fields continued. "Are the Daleks distressing enough?"

Something shot through The Doctor. Something that Niki didn't recognize for a moment, not used to seeing it on his face. Something that seemed wrong on someone like him.

It took her a moment, but she finally realized. It was fear. Pure fear.

And if The Doctor was afraid…

Niki swallowed. "Doctor?"

He didn't even look at her. "That's impossible!" He breathed.

Timesong snorted, her glow blackening. "Tell me about it."

"Doctor, what are the Daleks?" Niki demanded.

But The Doctor didn't answer. His face was pale.

"Doctor?"

He stumbled backwards. "But HOW?" He demanded. Pain filled his voice, washing like a wave over Niki. Tears pricked her eyes just listening to him.

"We don't know. We just know they're coming."

The Doctor swallowed, and whispered out a simple truth, one that Niki had never known.

"The Daleks… destroyed my home world. Destroyed everything." He looked at Niki. "And I won't let them kill you."

Niki looked at him, suddenly realizing what he was saying. "NO!" She spat. "Don't make me! NO!"

The Doctor shook his head. "I'm sorry, Niki. I have to help."

"So do I!" She hissed.

He shook his head again, harder this time. "No." His eyes met hers, tortured and dark. "I'm sorry. But you're going home."


	3. Betrayal

"No, Doctor." It was not Niki who replied, but Timesong. "She can not leave. We are all a part of this."

The Doctor's eyes widened. "But… she's human! She can't fight a Dalek, it's impossible!"

A faint glimmer of a smile danced on Thyme's pale face. "It wasn't for Rose."

"That was different!" The Doctor snapped.

"Doctor, let me put it this way." Vanessa said, stepping up to The Doctor. "You're going to let her stay, or the Daleks aren't going to be the only things I barbeque." Flames danced on her hands to prove her point.

A force field enveloped her hand, extinguishing the fire. "Enough, Ness." Force Fields whispered calmly. "The Doctor will make the right choice. He has to, or the universe dies."

The Doctor looked at the four aliens, and the only human in the room. Her eyes were bright.

Finally, he sighed. "What choice do I have?" he asked mournfully.

Niki's face broke into a smile, but The Doctor looked like he would never smile again.

* * *

Vanessa was a strange girl, even for an alien.

She wasn't too old, (Two hundred and fifty three, by her count) but every so often she'd get this look in her eyes that told Niki to stay away. She had some dark memories, that was for sure.

Timesong was different. It was rare that Niki even saw her in the days that followed. The glowing figure could only be spotted every so often, turning a corner or coming into a room. It wasn't as though she was _trying _to hide, it just happened that way. But, whenever Niki _did_ see her, Timesong would smile, laugh, talk, and just be friendly. The air of dignity and royalty that Niki had first associated with her never disappeared.

And then there was Thyme. She was like Timesong, and more than once Niki would catch the two talking together, disappearing out of view again and again. They were the only ones that seemed remotely alien. They remained secretive, as though this world truly wasn't their own.

Force Fields was like Vanessa. The two were best friends, though they had their confrontations. They almost seemed like sisters, though they'd shied away from Niki's question of whether or not they were the same species.

None of them ignored her. They had all become instant friends.

And yet, Niki had never felt so alone.

The Doctor hadn't talked to her in a long time. He'd said he wasn't mad, he just didn't want her to get hurt. But he was acting as though she was already dead, like he'd failed.

And, every so often, she'd see a flash of pain wash though the Time Lord's eyes, as though Niki had done the worst thing that could be done.

She sighed and walked into Vanessa's room. She was tossing small balls of flame into the sky, a grin on her face as they burst apart, sparks drifting down to dance across her.

"Hey, Ness."

"Oh. Hi Niki." Vanessa smiled and tossed up another flame.

Niki sighed again. "Can… Can I talk to you?"

Vanessa smiled and nodded. "Sure." She gestured to the chair in front of her, and Niki sat down.

"What's wrong?" Vanessa asked as she looked at her human friend.

Niki thought for a moment, trying to think of what to say. Finally, she spoke. "Vanessa, I'm worried about The Doctor. He won't talk to me. He's been all 'Oncoming Storm' since he heard the word 'Dalek.'"

Vanessa sighed. "Ah. Yes."

"What should I do?"

There was silence for a moment as Vanessa thought about how to answer that.

Finally, she spoke up. "Niki… you know he's the last of his kind, right?"

Niki nodded.

Vanessa's brilliant amber eyes were suddenly very soft, weak, fragile, even. "Did you know that _I _am the last as well?"

Her eyes widened. "What?"

Vanessa nodded. "My species was killed in the Time War too." She took a deep breath, closing her eyes.

The silence went on, echoing Vanessa's words in Niki's mind.

Finally, Vanessa sighed and continued. "It was a beautiful planet, Firakoi." Her eyes shone as she talked about the world that had once died. "It was in the Elemental tri-planetary solar system." A spark traveled down her face, the Firakoidian equivalent of a tear. "Three planets, all on exactly the same course." She smiled. "Just different directions."

Niki swallowed.

"Firakoi, Hydroice, and Aeroqui. The three Elemental planets. Each the exact distance away from the sun."

"Hold on. Wouldn't they crash?"

Vanessa shook her head. "No. Science can't explain why, no one can. But the planets would skip over each other." She saw the confusion in the human's face and decided to elaborate. "Say that Hydroice, the water planet, and Firakoi, the fire planet, were about to collide. For some completely unexplained reason, one of the planets, in this case Firakoi, would shift out of its orbit temporarily, slideing slightly closer to the sun." She smiled. "Whichever planet could take the heat, so to speak."

Niki nodded, still not understanding but wishing for her friend to continue and be unaware of her ignorance. Sudddenly, something occurred to her. "Hold on, hold on. You said three elemental planets. I thought there were four elements."

Vanessa smirked. "Think about it Niki. What are the elements?"

Niki ticked them off on her fingers. "Water, Fire, Air and…" She trailed off, blushing. "Oh."

Vanessa laughed, placing her hand on her friend's shoulder. "It's ok. It takes a while to get used to."

Niki nodded, though she was still embarrassed. The final element, of course, was Earth. And there would be no Earth element if it wasn't the planet earth.

Vanessa sighed deeply. "But they all died, Niki." The Firakoid's voice was whisper-soft. "They were stabbed in the back." She looked down. "Despite our advantages, the Daleks were starting to win. So, we pushed as many back as we could, and created an Elemental Lock across the planet."

"Elemental Lock?"

Vanessa nodded. "Three Elementals, or creatures like elementals, who can control fire, water, or air, will come together to form an Elemental Lock. It's impossible to break, unless you have two element-controllers of different types." She sighed. "In this case, it was a Firakoi and an Aeroqui." She looked down. "They thought they knew where the battle was headed. So they went to the Daleks and offered to break the Elemental lock if they would spare their lives." She swallowed. "The Daleks agreed." She laughed bitterly. "They were the first of millions to die that day." Her eyes locked on the floor. "It was genocide. Nothing more, nothing less."

Niki swallowed, her mouth and throat suddenly dry.

* * *

Thyme sat, a sigh escaping through her lips.

"Hello." The Doctor came up next to her. His voice was quiet, soft.

"Hi."

There was silence for a long time.

Finally, the Doctor spoke. "You shouldn't exist, Unnamed."

Thyme turned to him with a sad smile. "No, but I do."

His eyes were dark. "So. It's not a myth."

She shook her head. "No. The Unnamed species is real, and always has been."

He looked at her. "So are the stories of murder true as well?"

She sighed. "For most." She swallowed. "Not so much for me."

"Oh?"

Thyme swallowed. "The Unnamed believe that it's their job to make sure time stays on the right course. However, unlike the Time Lords, they _would _interfere. And they would…" She looked down. "They would kill those who got in their way."

"But not you?"

She shook her head. "I was supposed to. But I just… didn't. I always found another way." She sighed. "Everyone hated me for it." She smiled sadly. "Isn't that always the way?"

He sighed. "Sometimes."

She swallowed. "I had a chance to change that. One kill, and it was all over. Everyone could respect me again." She looked down. "Doctor, I was sent here to kill Timesong."

His breath caught in his throat. "But… I thought… I thought you were friends!" He said, his voice lowering to a whisper.

She raised a hand, cutting him off. "I was _sent _here for that purpose, Doctor, it is not the reason I _am _here." She looked and him. "When I came over to her, I saw a different version of the future. Something that shouldn't happen, but I _knew _was going to. The Dalek attack."

She sighed. "I'm not proud of my species. And I'm not proud of what I almost did. But I can do nothing about it now."

* * *

Timesong normally kept her composure quite well. She could be told the most nightmareish of things, horrible things, and still look at someone with an air of grace and dignity. Oh, she would sometimes cry later, but she was very good at staying completely emotionless when the time required it.

But the words that she heard Thyme say to the Doctor took her completely by surprise.

A single tear fell down her cheek. Her coal-black eyes were filled with pain.

Her best friend… had been sent here to kill her.

She angrily threw down Thyme's necklace (the one that had fallen to the floor and had been the reason Timesong had come to the door and overheard the conversation in the first place) and started running. Her glow changed to a deep black as her feet blurred as she kept running and running.

She burst through the door and ran outside. Rain splashed down on her, but she barely noticed it.

She fell to her knees, sobbing. She'd known Thyme for so long, and yet she'd never known. The rain poured around her as he glow blackened even further.

A long, horrible, tortured scream escaped from her lips. It went on for a long time, filling the night air with pain and anguish.

The rain poured down, and the dark of the night wore on.


	4. Attack

Red lights flashed. Sirens wailed.

Warnings blared and screeched as robots rushed forward to protect those inside the building. Green light flashed, and the robots died in metallic gurgles.

Thyme's eyes turned cold. "They're here."

Green-blue light flashed around the door, and it exploded, sending the Time Lord and the Unnamed to the floor. Thyme wiped blood from her lip and looked up at the golden pepper pot shape of a Dalek.

It stared at her for a long, silent moment.

Thyme closed her eyes. "This is how time must be."

The Dalek fired, and Thyme screamed. It turned to The Doctor, who glared at it.

A blast of blue-green light danced across his vision. The Doctor screamed.

* * *

Timesong was in no mood for games. Her glow blazed red, flowing around her like a living thing. She danced in between Daleks, causing them to fire into each other. Fury sparkled in her coal-black eyes, and she ripped into a Dalek's metal hide. It shrieked, which died off into a sickening gurgle.

Another lost an eyestalk as she brought her foot down on it. It snapped in half, leaving the Dalek screeching in pain.

She was a blur of fists and hate. The battle roared in her ears.

But a single Dalek managed a lucky shot.

Timesong screamed.

* * *

Niki closed her eyes as she heard the screams. She didn't even see the Dalek that came for her.

A shot was fired, and Niki screamed.

* * *

Vanessa Firaheart and Alexia stood, eyes blazing.

"Bring it on, trash bins!" Vanessa cried. Fire danced around her, filling the room but avoiding Alexia, who was throwing force fields around the area, smashing them into Daleks.

It was a hard fight, but two shots were fired.

Vanessa and Alexia screamed.

* * *

Niki came awake slowly. The world drifted below her in a haze. Her body didn't seem to work like it normally did; she felt she could hear sights and taste sounds.

She blinked a few times, wondering if she would hear through them instead of see. But that wasn't the case, thankfully.

"_Niki!_"

Her hand fluttered, as though trying to switch off her alarm clock, before she remembered that alarms don't call your name. Especially not with that worried tone of voice she heard.

"Thank goodness you're awake." Someone knelt down next to her. "You gave us quite a scare."

Niki's eyes fluttered open again. "Wh-Who are you?"

The woman smiled, her eyes blazing into her. "My name is Isera." She helped Niki to her feet. Niki's legs didn't want to move, however, so they didn't. She fell back to the floor.

Isera frowned. "Let's not do that again."

"You think?" Niki asked, irritated.

Isera looked at her. There was something… _wrong _with her eyes, something somewhat terrifying. And then it hit her.

Niki swallowed. "Are you… you know…"

"Blind?"

Niki swallowed again. "Yeah."

Isera smiled softly. "Yes."

Niki couldn't stop staring. Isera's eyes didn't _look _blind until you really studied them. They were slightly off from where she was _trying _to look, which was really the only giveaway.

But they looked… old. Like they _had _seen, once, and seen too much.

Isera's ears pricked. "They're coming." She gestured to something behind her. "Under the bed, now!"

Niki obeyed, unsure why she was trusting a complete stranger. The space under the bed was tight, but she fit if she just held her breath…

The door opened automatically. Isera's sightless eyes narrowed as a golden pepper pot shaped object came through.

The blind girl bowed slightly.

The creature's eyestalk swiveled towards her. "You are required."

It went downwards, and Niki knew she was caught. Isera stood in the way. "Niki stays here."

"Negative. She is to stay with the others."

"You don't want that." Isera insisted. "She's only human!"

The creature was relentless. "She is to stay with the others."

"She'll die in those cages."

"Then she dies."

"She might be needed!"

"Negative."

"You don't know that."

"Affirmative. But logic suggests that a mere human will not be necessary."

"Logic isn't always true."

"Negative. The universe needs logic…"

"Enough!" Niki came out. "I deserve a say in this!"

"Silence, human!" The pepper pot screeched, turning to her.

Niki looked at it. It wasn't too big; she stared down at it easily. "Or what, goldilocks? You'll shoot me?"

"If necessary."

"They did it once." Isera growled.

Niki rolled her eyes. "You said the others. Is the Doctor there?"

The creature stayed silent.

Niki's eyes narrowed. "Is the Doctor there?" She demanded.

"Affirmative." The creature replied warily.

Isera smiled. "They don't like the fact that they left him alive." She explained.

Niki walked over to the creature. "Then I'll 'comply.'"

"No, Niki!" Isera protested, but Niki raised a hand, cutting her off.

"Enough." Niki said coldly. "The decision's been made."

She followed the creature, which transferred her to another creature that looked identical to it. Isera followed the original pepper pot, keeping one hand on it so she knew where it was going.

"You will follow!" the creature taking Niki ordered.

Niki snorted as she walked. "That won't get old." She bit out sarcastically. "Where are we going, anyway?"

"Containment unit."

"Uh-huh. And you are, who, exactly?"

"I am a Dalek."

"That's nice. But what's your name?"

"I am a Dalek."

She rolled her eyes. "I got that. Don't you have a name, though?"

"I am a Dalek. Daleks have no names."

"That must _really _get old. How do you tell each other apart?"

"Cease your questioning!"

"Make me."

The Dalek swiveled around to face Niki. It looked at her for a long time. Niki stared at it defiantly. This creature made the Doctor terrified, and anything that did that to him was her mortal enemy for the rest of time.

It was just that simple.

It said nothing further, just turned around. Niki followed it until she came to a large circle, made of what looked like a dark metal. She shivered. It felt… wrong, somehow.

The Dalek's sucker latched onto a bauble-like object, and a door opened. The Dalek moved aside. "Enter!"

She rolled her eyes, but obeyed.

"Niki!"

The Doctor's relieved voice sounded out. Niki breathed a sigh of relief as well. "Doctor!"

She ran to the bars and saw what was probably the most pitiful sight in the universe.

The cages were arranged in a circle. There were six of them, each containing one person, including Niki (the door had closed behind her, sealing her inside).

Timesong was in one. Her glow was flickering different colors crazily, with no hope of control or sense.

Thyme was in another. Her skin, already so pale, now looked downright grey. Dark circles ringed her eyes, which were red, like she'd been crying.

Force Fields had created a force field between her and the bars, and looked somewhat better than the others, though she was pacing harshly, tapping a rhythm on her side as she walked.

Even the Doctor looked pale. Sweat was glistening on his skin in the harsh florescent light, and his eyes were hollow. He looked… weak.

But perhaps the worst of them all was Vanessa. She was curled up on the floor, her back to the wall. Her breathing was harsh and ragged, her brilliant amber eyes suddenly dull and lifeless. She was trembling, her skin pale and covered in goose bumps.

Niki swallowed. "Doctor? What's wrong?"

He followed her gaze to the Firakoid across from her. He sighed. "Aquagel. Harmless enough, unless you can't touch water." He looked at Vanessa, pain in his eyes. "It's how they're keeping her under control."

Niki looked at Vanessa, who was shaking almost violently, her teeth chattering. Niki saw blood on her lip where her teeth had missed.

Niki's stomach twisted into a knot. The picture of Vanessa like that went against everything Niki knew of the Firakoid. She was a powerful creature; her being powerless just had no place in the universe.

She swallowed. Every person in the room was avoiding the bars like the plague.

She took a closer look at them. They were black, a twisted-looking metal with deep grooves on the sides.

"Don't touch them." The Doctor whispered to her as he saw her examine them.

She looked at him. "What are they? What's wrong with them?" She felt a shiver course through her; the bars weren't _natural, _not in any sense of the word.

"I don't know." The fact that these words were coming from the Time Lord's mouth seemed to make him furious.

"And how did the Daleks get here?" Niki pressed on. "You said they were all dead, so, how are they here?"

"I don't know!" The Doctor repeated, exasperated.

Niki looked at him. There was a desperation in his hollow eyes, a terror in his pale skin, glistening with sweat, as though he was battling, fighting to stay alive.

No one spoke for a very long time. The silence was absolute, the only noise coming from Force Fields, who was still frantically tapping on her side. It was a strange rhythm. It was unable to be comforting, as Force Fields was tapping it with such urgency, such desperation…

_Tap tap tap TAP. Tap tap tap TAP. _

Three softer beats, followed by a louder one. It never changed, and Force Fields was pacing with the tempo.

"Why are they keeping us alive?"

Niki jumped and looked at Thyme. Her bright green eyes were calculating, a concentration deep within them.

Everyone turned to look at her.

"We're not the only ones." Niki said. "There's someone else. A blind woman. Named Isera."

Vanessa perked up, though it could hardly be described as that. "Isera? She's here?"

Niki looked at her, surprised by her fascination. "Yeah… she was there when I woke up. Didn't want the Daleks to take me here."

Timesong snorted. "Figures."

"It makes sense." Force Fields said kindly. "She's only human, Song…"

"But we're all _dying, _aren't we, Fields?" Timesong growled, her glow flaring a deep, hideous red. "_All _of us."

"ENOUGH!"

Everyone jumped. The Doctor's eyes were smoldering.

"We will get _no where _by _fighting, _understood?"

Timesong looked down.

Force Fields turned away, tapping once more.

Vanessa looked up, her amber eyes dull and unfocused. "If Isera is here, then we will find out why we are alive very soon. I'm certain of it."

* * *

Vanessa was right. Only an hour later, Isera appeared in the middle of their circle. She smiled warmly at everyone, though she could not see them.

"Hello, Fire Heart."

Vanessa smiled weakly at her friend. "Hello, Isera." She said. Her words came from dry lips; her throat ached as she spoke. But there was some brilliant fire in her amber eyes, a fire that could not die.

Isera looked around with sightless eyes. "Hello, Doctor." She nodded her head in the Time Lord's direction. "Timesong. Thyme. Niki." Each received their own head-nod, though Niki noticed that she completely avoided Force Fields, who didn't look too happy to see her, either.

"I suppose you're all wondering why we're here. I was wondering, too. Until I discovered something that I believe you'll all find rather… interesting."

Everyone looked at her. No one questioned her sudden appearance into their circle via teleport, and no one questioned the validity of her information. She was Vanessa's friend, and that was all that mattered to everyone there. They trusted Vanessa, and so they trusted Isera.

"Two months ago," The blind woman continued. "We heard news of Daleks returning. We were told that they were taking prisoners, from many different species. We thought it preposterous; all of the Daleks died in the Time War, and even if they were alive, they did not take prisoners!" Isera smiled sadly. "Oh, how wrong we were."

She pulled a bag off of her shoulder and set it on the floor. She unzipped it and began searching through it with such ease it seemed she still had her sight.

"It seems that the Daleks acquired a very valuable asset. A young woman, known only as the Silent Slave."

Everyone's breath caught in their throat. Everyone but Niki, of course.

"Who's the Silent Slave?" She asked, oblivious.

"I'll explain later." The Doctor promised, looking at Isera.

"She refused to say a word, as she always does. But she gave the Daleks something. Something very rare and very valuable. Something that could be used to turn the tables." At this, she pulled a stack of papers from her bag. They were yellowed with age, the corners curling, but Niki could still see the black ink on them. "She didn't say they were important. She didn't say that they weren't important, either. But after the Daleks received these papers, she went into the darkest corner she could find. She hasn't moved since."

"I was captured a few days later. Of my own accord, you understand. I would never allow myself into these circumstances otherwise. Because, you see, I knew what papers the Silent Slave had in her possession. And I figured that the last of the Firakoids would want to know of the last fragments left of her kind."

Vanessa looked at her in shock. Her eyes drifted down to the papers. "Ino Irta…" She breathed the words softly, as though the papers would shatter if she spoke any louder.

Isera smiled. "I only managed to convince the Daleks to keep you alive under the idea that these would be translated by you." She handed Vanessa the papers through the bars, making sure not to touch them. Though how she could tell where they were, Niki did not know.

"Ancient Firakoidian." Vanessa whispered. "It's impossible!"

"Aren't we all?" Isera asked. Vanessa smiled humorlessly.

There was a long silence, and Isera turned to Force Fields.

"Do not pretend to hide from me, Daughter of Hate!" Isera suddenly shouted. Force Fields jumped, then cringed into the wall. "Did you think I would not see? Did you think I would not know who you were? _Know your name?_ The name that has been burned across the galaxies, burned through time, taking your rhythm with it?" Isera began tapping her side, the same rhythm that Force Fields was so frantically drumming earlier.

The other flinched. "Ino irna." She said defiantly.

Isera's head tilted to the side. "Inok Irno. Pelo nokta? Et Doctor?"

Force Fields winced at the Doctor's name, but remained persistent. "Istaria nortali."

Isera looked at her for a long time, before nodding approvingly. "Good. Very good. But you are the disease, Force Fields, as you always have been. You are still the plague." She came up next to the cage, her nose almost touching the black and twisted metal of the bars, her sightless eyes seeming to penetrate Force Field's mind, pierce through her darkest nightmares.

"And you will bring nothing but death and destruction, for you were not meant to be alive." Isera concluded.

"I have as much a right to my life as you do to yours." Force Fields was pressed against the invisible shield she'd created between herself and the bars. "Do not deny me that."

Isera didn't reply. She simply vanished.


End file.
